Transport also celebrated its official launch
in the Los Angeles area before transporting
hundreds more animals the next day.

Rescue Express’ mission is to safely and
humanely transfer large numbers of animals
otherwise doomed to die. The organization
transports animals twice a month by bus to
no-kill rescue groups that work diligently to
find quality homes. The transport bus has
been outfitted specifically to transport 100

to 200 animals, depending on reservationbookings, and the animals are housed inspacious carriers and monitored throughoutthe transport by the coordinator.“Our first-year operating costs wereabout $100,000,” said Mike McCarthy,founder of Rescue Express Transport. “Hav-ing transported more than 5,000 animalsin that time, well ... you do the math. It is$20 for an animal to be transferred fromL.A. to Seattle. I call that a fabulouslymeaningful impact.”

Eastwood Ranch Foundation and LA 4
Animals Foundation, both Southern Califor-nia-based 501(c)( 3) nonprofits,
co-hosted the event to
raise awareness for
all animal welfare
causes. Proceeds
from the event were
donated directly
to Rescue Express
Transport to enable
the organization to
expand its transportation
efforts, rescue thousands more
animals from high-kill shelters, and provide
these animals with more time and a chance
at life in quality homes.

RUFF DAWG

Dave Pentland, president
Worcester, Mass.

Ruff Dawg has sponsored Canines for Dis-abled Kids (CDK), an independent nonprofitfounded in 1998 that connects families inneed with service dogs and training pro-grams, awards scholarships to offset some ofthe approximately $25,000 it costs to train aservice dog, and provides ongoing support tothe child-canine team.“We work with schools and speak atconferences and expositions to educatefamilies on what the options are for thesefamilies looking for the support of adog,” said Kristin Hartness, executivedirector at CDK. “We depend entirelyon donations and sponsorships. Wereceive no government funding.”Beyond a financial commitment,Ruff Dawg also will feature CDK on itsnew website to help raise awarenessand spur donations.

“The work CDK does with assisting
families with service dogs is admirable,”
said Pentland.

“We felt there was a natural fit as well
potential for us to expose them to a new
audience of dog lovers,” he added. “We look
forward to the partnership and hope that
our dog toys will not only be keeping dogs
happy but, in a small way, enriching the
lives of less fortunate children.”

THE HONEST KITCHEN

Lucy Postins, CEO and founder
San Diego

An arm of The Honest Kitchen ( THK) isPawlanthropy, where we give back tononprofits by donating full-size product torescues throughout the year. We also select anoble charitable cause each month to receivea portion of our sales profit.

Big Hearts for Big Dogs is a Florida-based
rescue that advocates for the big dogs. They
saw a need to help find homes for larger
breeds as the smaller ones were finding
homes at a quicker rate. With their passion
driving them, they created this amazing
rescue to help provide forever homes for
these great pups.

Two of the most heartwarming stories
from this rescue are the transitions experienced by Maggie and Olaf.

Maggie, about 8 years old, was an
owner-surrender at a high-kill shelter in
Miami. Emaciated and anemic, she required
surgery that repeatedly was postponed. After
two weeks on THK products, she gained
weight, her coat blossomed and her blood
panel came back normal, and she could
receive her lifesaving surgery.

Olaf sustained more than 20 cranial
fractures and several broken teeth from
repeated beatings. He underwent major
surgery involving more than 18 extractions
of his broken teeth. THK helped him eat
comfortably and gain weight, and he now
lives in his forever home.

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

BY ADAM BAKER, FOUNDER AND
CEO OF SODAPUP/TRUE DOGS LLC
IN BOULDER, COLO.

Being socially responsible is a
central part of our company culture.

As a young company with limited
resources, we have to find creative
ways to give back. Because donating
cash isn’t realistic for us, we focus on donating product, time and expertise.

Many little contributions can add up to something significant, and it’s
important to start now. If we wait until we’re big enough or have free time
or have enough money, chances are we’d never get started. Here are some
of the things we’re doing at SodaPup.

One day while on the factory floor with a manufacturing partner, I noticed
a barrel full of rejected products that were destined for the landfill. Though cosmetically defective, they were perfectly functional. From this chance observation, we created the rescue2 program. We “rescue” cosmetic seconds from the
landfill and donate them to dog rescue programs for use in their kennels. Except
for the cost of shipping, this program costs us nothing and is made possible
because we produce our dog toys in the U.S.. If the products had been made in
China, it wouldn’t be feasible to pay for shipping and importation.

SodaPup also donates first-quality products to nonprofit animal rescue
organizations through its Fun(d)raiser Donation Program. Typically, these
donations are used in fundraising raffles. This is a cost-effective way for us to
help make a difference, and it gives SodaPup greater brand awareness.

Our ProfitsForPups initiative is a discount program for humane societies
and animal shelters that have a retail operation. We deeply discount our
products for these organizations so that they can make large profit margins—
when they observe our minimum advertised pricing policy—which they can
use to fund their operations.

Contributing time and expertise is another great way to give back. I’m
fortunate to serve as a board member for International Hearing Dog (IHD).

This Denver-based nonprofit rescues shelter dogs and trains them to be
hearing aids for the deaf and hard of hearing. The organization typically trains
and places 50 dogs a year at no cost to the recipients.

Finally, we created the MuttsKickButt Award program to spotlight
remarkable people who volunteer their time to dog rescue organizations.
The three annual awards are given in the form of product donations to the
nonprofit dog rescue organization of the winners’ choice. Nominations can
be sent to info@sodapup.com through October 2016. Award winners will be
announced in November.